Why Accurate Incident Reporting Matters: Staying Compliant with RIDDOR 2013

Accidents happen on every site, but in scaffolding, the stakes are higher.

Accident reporting isn’t just paperwork; it’s your first line of defence against repeat incidents, legal risk, and falling short of RIDDOR requirements. And with the latest NASC Safety Report 2025, it’s clearer than ever why scaffolders need fast, accurate, and reliable reporting systems.

What the 2025 NASC Data Shows

NASC contractor members reported 73 RIDDOR accidents across 19,442 operatives, the lowest Accident Incidence Rate (AIR) and Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) ever recorded. That’s a huge achievement for the industry, but the risks are still real:

• 1 fatality involving an advanced scaffolding inspector
• 72 non-fatal injuries, including: 35 specified (major) injuries and 37 over-7-day RIDDORs

The leading causes remain familiar:

• Manual handling (22 incidents)
• Slips and trips (21 incidents)
• Falls from height (19 incidents), from scaffolds, lorries, ladders and other access points

Even with improved safety performance, scaffolding remains a high-hazard environment. That’s why capturing accurate incident details, immediately and consistently, is critical.

Keeping track of incident data is often where compliance falls apart: missing forms, incomplete details, inconsistent formats, or information that never gets logged centrally.

SMART Forms inside SMART Manager remove all of that friction.

With digital Smart Forms, you can:

✔ Record incidents instantly: Log accidents on site from any mobile device, while information is fresh and accurate.

✔ Store everything securely: Every report is saved in the cloud, giving your business a complete, tamper-proof audit trail.

✔ Produce professional RIDDOR-ready PDFs: Perfect for audits, insurers, clients and internal investigations.

✔ Spot trends early: With all data in one system, you can identify recurring risks, such as increases in manual handling injuries, and take action before they escalate.

Why It Matters:

The NASC data is improving, but incidents still happen and when they do, your reporting process needs to be watertight.

Switching from paper forms to SMART Forms helps you:

• Reduce admin
• Strengthen compliance
• Improve accuracy
• Support a stronger safety culture

In a high-risk industry, better reporting isn’t optional, it’s essential. SMART Forms makes it simple, consistent, and fully aligned with what RIDDOR expects.

Take the next step towards full digital compliance and make safety reporting simpler with SMART Forms.